From ancient times there has been a weekly portion (Parashah) from the first five books of Moses (The Torah) and an ending (Haftarah) from the Prophets read on the Sabbath in synagogues around the world. This portion is given a Hebrew name drawn from the opening words of the Torah passage. An illustration of this practice appears to have been recorded in Luke 4:16 where Yeshua (Jesus) arrived in the synagogue in Nazareth and was asked to read the portion (Isaiah 61) from the Prophets.

We have found that in perusing these weekly readings, not only are we provided opportunity to identify in the context of God’s Word with millions of Jewish people around the world, but very often the Holy Spirit will illumine specific passages pertinent that week in our intercession for the Land and people of Israel. The Haftarah, unless otherwise noted, will be that read in Ashkenazy synagogues around the world. The references for all texts are those found in English translations of the Scriptures.

The readings for this week March 26—April 1, 2017 are called VaYikra—“And He Called.”

TORAH: Leviticus 1:1—6:7

HAFTARAH: Isaiah 43:21—4:23

This week’s reading brings us into the Book of Leviticus. This name comes from the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures and means “relating to the Levites.” However, the Hebrew name VaYikra is drawn from the first word in the book and refers to the LORD “calling” to Moses from the Tent of Meeting to give him instructions. He not only desires to dwell among us—He longs to speak and commune with us.

Some 50 times in this book it is written that God “spoke” to Moses. The book’s emphasis is holiness—and regards primarily the services of worship at the Tabernacle—the way that the priestly intercessors or ‘go-betweens’ could accomplish their work on behalf of the people.

This week’s portion pertains to five specific types of offerings (divided generally by chapters):

These sacrifices were for the common people as a whole. They deal with voluntary private sacrifices, for expression of gratitude, prayer, spiritual communion or desire for expiation, on the part of the individual. The mishkan (dwelling place of God’s presence), had been prepared by the sacrifice of all the people, men women, young and old—and these sacrifices are on their behalf, not just on behalf of the priests.

Burnt Offerings (Leviticus 1:3-17):

From cattle herd (3), sheep (10), birds, turtledoves or young pigeons (14). A “Burnt Offering” carried the idea of “submission of the worshipper to the will of God in its most perfect form, as the entire animal was placed upon the Altar to be burnt. The Hebrew word ohlah signifies “that which ascends”, symbolizing the ascent or rising of the soul in worship. “By making the offering ascend to heaven, the one who offers it expresses his desire and intention to ascend himself to Heaven; i.e. to devote himself entirely to God and place his life in God’s service.” (The Pentateuch and Haftorahs, 2nd Ed: The Soncino Press, 1960. Here and in all subsequent quotations).

Grain Offerings (Leviticus 2:1-16):

Offerings of Flour, Wheat or Barley prepared with oil and frankincense. “When anyone (‘a soul’) offers a grain offering…” The very poor who could not afford an animal, could offer a “meal offering” The Hebrew is mincha—here referring to a sacrifice not involving slaughter of an animal. The Meal and oil “are not natural products, but are obtained as the result of toil. The meal-offering typified the consecration of man’s work to the service of God” (Ibid.). (2:13) “Every offering of your grain offering you shall season with salt; you shall not allow the salt of the covenant of your God to be lacking in your grain offering. With all your offerings you shall offer salt.” (Salt acts as a preservative, preventing deterioration and putrefaction (leaven and honey can produce it). Salt typifies “that which is abiding.” On Friday evenings in Jewish households, salt is sprinkled on the bread as thanks is offered up for God’s provision.

Peace Offerings (Leviticus 3:1-17):

Zevach shelamim—sacrifices ‘made in fulfillment of a vow (zevach), or in gratitude for benefits received or expected. It would thus be an occasion when man seeks and obtains peace with his Creator. In the peace-offering there was inherent a feeling of joyousness, either in celebrating a happy occasion in the people’s life, or some important event in connection with a family or individual”. Taken from the cattle herd (1), the flock (6) (a lamb (7) or goat (12).

Sin Offerings (Leviticus 4:1-35):

Sin (het): For humankind, made in God’s image “to miss the mark” of set by His righteousness. All are under sin, even when as here, he or she did it in ignorance: the Anointed Priests (3); the congregation as a whole (13), civil rulers of the people (22), individuals from among the common people (27). Blood was required to make atonement for sin and to provide forgiveness.

Guilt and Trespass Offerings (Leviticus 5:1—6:7)

Special cases for sin offerings—coming into contact with impurity (5:2-3); omitting to fulfil a vow (5:4): “trespass”—unintentionally appropriating for one’s own use a ‘holy thing’ from the Sanctuary. Lastly, Chapter 6 deals with sins or trespass against God and against one’s neighbor and the offering required for restitution, atonement and forgiveness. In all of these it is the Priest (the cohen) who “shall make atonement…before the LORD (6:7).

Haftarah

Isaiah 43:21—44:23

The readings for next week, April 2-8, 2017 are called Tsav—“Command”:

TORAH: Leviticus 6:8—8:36

HAFTARAH: Malachi 3:4—4:6 (Shabbat HaGadol)

In A Nutshell

The portion, VaYikra (The Lord Called), deals with rules of sacrificing and the priests serving in the tabernacle. Some offerings are optional; some are mandatory. Some of the offerings are burnt to ashes on the altar, and some remain for the priests and the giver of the offering.

The rules of offerings speak of a “burnt offering” that a person brings voluntarily from the cattle, flock, and poultry. There is also a “gift offering,” which a person brings voluntarily from the flora. Also, there is the “peace offering,” which is an offering that a person brings from the cattle, sheep, and goats. The “sin offering” is an offering brought by one who sinned by mistake. That person makes an offering to atone for the sin.

Commentary

The portion, VaYikra (The Lord Called), teaches us about the work of the offerings, which are also the main topic in the Talmud. We learn all the works from the works of the Temple.

People are nearing the purpose of creation and Dvekut (adhesion) with the Creator, to the human level, a life in a totally blissful world, and experiencing all the worlds and the sensation of nature as complete and eternal, as it was prepared for us. That nearing is called Korban (offering/sacrifice) from the word Karov (near).

We are approaching it step by step by correcting our nature. There are 613 desires in us, which we must correct one at a time, each desire with all of its parts. Our desires divide into four levels: still, vegetative, animate, and speaking. The work of the offerings teaches us how to sacrifice and correct them so they are in bestowal and love. The rule in our work is to correct our nature and achieve the state, “love your neighbor as yourself; it is a great rule in the Torah.”[1] By that, we become similar to the Creator and achieve Dvekut with Him.

The correction of the egoistic desire from receiving for myself into bestowal upon others is called an “offering” that a person offers. The offering may come from several sources. It may be from the still, as it is written, “On all your offerings you shall offer salt” (Leviticus, 2:13), or water or oil. It can also be from the vegetative or processed plants, such as the showbread. From the animate, only a certain kind is offered. The priests’ and the Levites’ daily work in the Temple is to sacrifice the flock and the cattle.

There are offerings that one must make on a daily basis, similar to our progress from day to day according to the plan of creation, on a predetermined pace. When we do not follow suit, we suffer a thrust from behind, from the negative forces.

The offerings we cannot make—namely the desires we cannot correct into aiming to bestow upon others—become negative forces that manifest as problems that push us from behind through suffering. These desires accumulate until they break out as crises, similar to the comprehensive crisis we are currently experiencing.

The crisis is not a negative state, but a result of neglect. It is happening because we are so engrossed in materialism instead of rising above it, because we are so obstinate and refuse to listen to the guidance of Kabbalists.

In fact, the crisis is a point of new birth. It points to our inability to live according to the old paradigm. Our perspective on life and the attitude toward values in our lives break and fall apart, as it manifests in education, family relations, and so forth.

The order of the work of the offerings is very important because it explains how we advance in life. If we follow this order, our lives will flow in order too.

The general nature is built so that if each moment we correct more and more pieces of the egoism into altruism and love of others, into connection with humanity, with nature, we draw nearer to the Creator—the only force that exists in reality. In this way we are in balance with it, and there is no better state for us than that. After all, in that state we do not need anything and reside in a world of utter bliss.

VaYikra details the order of correction of all 613 broken, egoistic desires into connection with others, and through it, connection with the Creator. It is written about it, “From the Love of man to the love of God.”[2] However, before we connect with others, we must be properly built within. We must prepare ourselves for it internally, as well as externally.
Assume that a person must be “married,” meaning have a deficiency. A woman is a deficiency next to the man, a deficiency adapted to the ability to correct it. The feminine part of a person is as a deficiency, the left side, while the masculine part is the right side, which complements. In a state of collaborative work, a person is considered “married.” The man—which is higher than the woman and wants to advance and correct the deficiency—makes an offering. The offering is also for the feminine part in the person. The same applies to the rest of the people.

The work of the offerings is the work in the Temple, the common Kli of the world where a person expresses one’s attitude toward the Creator. There are many details to this work: how to slaughter, burn, and how to discern all the parts in the offerings.

There is a part in us that enjoys, and a part that is as “smoke.” The word “smoke” is an acronym for Olam, Shana, Nefesh (ASHAN [smoke]) by which a person transcends the limitations of our world, thus advancing toward the purpose of creation.

When one begins to connect and approach the Creator through the offerings, one becomes more suitable for the Creator. Each time, one of the 613 desires becomes more suitable for the Creator. This way a person begins to feel that the system within is becoming more similar to that of the Creator. Then the person begins to understand Him since one contains a partial sample of Him, which gradually expands. The more one’s desires close in on a similar structure to Godliness, the more the Creator “clothes” in the person. Thus one becomes more similar to the Creator.

Through one’s internal system, where there is already a part of the Creator, a person begins to understand and know Him. Such a person can picture and imagine that system, thoughts, desires, and approach of the Creator toward him or her. Thus one can increasingly understand one’s attitude toward the Creator. The model that one builds within allows one to be in mutual connection with the Creator, and this is how a person becomes man (Adam).

From the beginning of creation through its end we undergo a process by which we must correct ourselves and rise from our world to the world of Ein Sof (infinity). We must do it internally, in our inner structure, so that each time we become increasingly similar to the upper force. This is the work that this portion deals with.

The Creator is inviting us to this work hoping that humanity will respond. The whole work is of the part of us called “Israel,” and of which it was written, “And you will be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus, 19:6). The priests are the ones who manage the work at the Temple, bringing the rest of the nation to this work so the whole nation may able to correct itself.

All of Israel are regarded as priests in relation to the rest of the world. VaYikra (The Lord Called) is first and foremost a call to Israel because Israel are obliged to teach the rest of humanity how to approach the Creator. It was written about it, “they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them” (Jeremiah, 31:33), and “for My house shall be called ‘a house of prayer’ to all the nations” (Isaiah, 56:7), once it is built.

This is why VaYikra is a call to the entire nation of Israel to correct itself as quickly as possible, thus also correcting the global crisis, the world’s problems, and abolishing anti-Semitism. Then everyone will truly be as one group, a single nation.

Questions and Answers

We sacrifice to the Creator, but the sacrifice is actually nearing between people. What is the connection between bringing people closer and drawing closer to the Creator?

There is an act here, and there is the intention. To perform correction we must draw closer to others. We cannot draw closer to others unless we have the intention to draw closer, and unless the common force of bestowal that exists in the world, namely the Creator, appears between us. Through mutual nearing, we build an opportunity, a place, a space of mutual desire where the mutual force of bestowal appears, meaning the force of love, which does not exist in our world. That force does not exist in our qualities unless we exert to make it, to make room for it. The place where the force of bestowal appears is called “dweller” or “the revelation of Divinity.” It requires three conditions in order to exist: you, me, and the Creator.

What is the order between them? It seems reasonable to say, “Give me this type of Temple and I will sacrifice my cow there.

It is all within us, the cow too.

It follows that we must approach the Creator so He may give us the strength to love others. So one does not reach the Creator through others, but from the Creator to others because the problems are between us and not with the Creator?

True, there is no other way. We begin from hating each other; we have no desire whatsoever to draw near. Only through troubles and problems, when we ask how and why, what is the meaning of life, what is happening in the world, do we understand that we must correct our nature and start looking for a solution. Our correction is from reception to bestowal, from hate to love, from understanding that the hatred is destroying the world and our lives.

Today the whole world is dealing with correcting human nature because it ruins everything, including this planet. Many scientists are warning about these problems, which are already causing our collapse.

The problem is that we cannot restrain human nature. We are marching as sheep to the slaughter, unable to stop ourselves. Baal HaSulam wrote that the angel of death comes with a drop of poison on the tip of his sword, and you open your mouth to it because there is a last bit of pleasure on it, and you die. You cannot see past yourself, and even if you do, you simply must have this drop.[3]Go to the craftsman who made me, Just so, we are advancing blindly, following our nature into wars and troubles, ruining everything along the way because it is all done without higher guidance.

We need the upper force. This need arises from the sensation of troubles and problems that are already appearing in the world, but it should come with an explanation. There must be a system that provides information that we, the children of Israel, must pass on to the rest of the world. This is the meaning of being a kingdom of priests. The priests are those who teach the people, as it is written, “And you will be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus, 19:6).

We must make the reason for the crisis known, as well as the means for correcting human nature, in order to bring the whole of humanity to balance with nature, or we will not survive.

Although the conditions for it have all been prepared, we have to do our share in this work. This is why we are witnessing an increase in global anti-Semitism, which will only increase unless we make the method of correction and its use known in due time, and promote its implementation the world over.

It is therefore clear that we ourselves must be connected to the Creator, study, and demand the revelation of the Creator in order to allow ourselves to advance. All we need is the sense of lack and our drive toward it, since the moment we need His strength, we will ask and receive it.

What does it mean that we sacrifice a cow, a sheep, or a goat?

The Book of Zohar explains that these are not cows, sheep, or any other kosher animal. Rather, it is a person who needs to correct, to discern the animal part within, the speaking part, which is the priest, Levite, and Israel. A person offers and sacrifices part of the animate, which is all the animate within us. Actually, it concerns the desires within us, which divide into still, vegetative, animate, and human.

Why is it so difficult to offer the sacrifice?

A person cannot perform correction without first knowing what to do, without internally distinguishing good from bad. Currently, we do not know what to correct. You might say, “Yes, sometimes I lie,” but how can you tell that this is what you must correct? Anyone can say that, at least to oneself. However, even then it is not a sincere confession. So how will you know what is stopping you from approaching the goal? For this, we need the revelation of the Creator, the light that reforms to illuminate for us the desires we can sacrifice.

From The Zohar: One Who Did Not Marry a Woman Is Flawed

“When any man of you brings an offering” means excluding one who did not marry a wife, since his offering is not an offering and there are no blessings in him, neither above nor below. This means that when it writes, “When any man of you brings an offering,” and he is different, not a human and not included in man. Divinity is not over him because he is flawed and called “maimed,” and one who is maimed is removed from everything, all the more so from the altar, from offering sacrifices.

Zohar for All, VaYikrah (The Lord Called), item 63

If one knows and feels that one is flawed, namely still has an egoistic intention, how can one sacrifice it? How can one move closer to the Creator?

Such a person must first be whole.

Ask most people and they will tell you, “I’m fine with the Creator; I get along with Him. How do they know? Do they feel this way? Is this how the Creator is depicted for them?

They feel so because the Creator is hidden from them, so they are sure they are OK with Him.

If the person is OK with the Creator, why is He hidden?

We do not ask ourselves this question. We say, “I pay my taxes, I’m friendly to my neighbors, I even put the garbage in the right bins. I’m just fine.”

How do you explain to people that there is a connection, that we must discover the quality of bestowal within us, that this is the Creator? How do you explain that VaYikra means that the Creator is calling us to approach something very different?

We determine our own situation, the scale, according to the upper force, which is benevolent, whole, in which there is no hate but only love. We measure in comparison with it how similar or different we are from it, from the Unique one from whom everything was created and to whom everything returns. First we must see and feel how different or similar we are to Him. We must also engage in the wisdom of Kabbalah, or we will have no chance of nearing Him.

This is how everyone thinks, which is why it is impossible to turn to anyone in this manner. We need to measure people compared to the Creator, and then it will be possible to see how obligated we are, and how the Creator has made us so. We could say, “Go to the craftsman who made me,”[4] since He has made me this way, and only through bringing the upper light will anything be resolved.

Our qualities have been designed since childhood by our parents, education, the environment, the Creator, genes, grandparents, and previous generations. Then there are our own additions. Over that part which we add to ourselves, which we could avoid adding, too, or add negative traits to ourselves, over that part we have choice and can say, “This I need to correct.” This is the initial scrutiny. It is a very special work, which is why we do not immediately arrive at the offerings.

During all the previous portions we advance toward this work, discovering the Creator—the upper force—at the level we are in through the quality of Moses in us. We measure ourselves compared to them, and only then can we correct our qualities and know how many of them we should fix, and how. After all, we have many qualities that need no correction because they are corrected by themselves, as they are not ours.

Like this:

British biblical historian Ralph Ellis argues Christ and King Manu, ruler of Edessa, are actually the same man

He says a 24mm-wide coin from the first century AD shows the only lifelike image ever made of Jesus

Ellis called his conclusion ‘one of the most important discoveries in modern history’

Detractors argue that there are inconsistencies, and his view is controversial

For centuries historians have disagreed about what Jesus Christ looked like, but an ancient coin depicting a bearded man could have the answer, a new book claims

A tiny bronze coin, dating from the first century AD, is the only lifelike image ever made of Christ, according to British biblical historian Ralph Ellis.

Until now, the 24mm-wide coin was believed to show the face of King Manu, ruler of the Mesopotamian kingdom of Edessa, in what is now southeastern Turkey.

The first century coin could contain the first ever portrait of Jesus, according to biblical historian Ralph Ellis

But after nearly 30 years of research, Ellis argues that Manu and Christ were in fact one and the same person.

He said his find is ‘one of the most important discoveries in modern history’.

The historian has studied the lives of the pair and cross-referenced all recorded and anecdotal evidence, and believes that the striking similarities between them cannot be a coincidence.

Ellis said he is convinced ‘beyond any reasonable doubt’ that the same man was posthumously referred to by two names – ‘King Izas Manu’, and ‘(King) Jesus Emmanuel’.
If he is correct, the coin’s image is the one and only accurate portrait of Christ.

The familiar image of Jesus with long, flowing hair and white robe is said to be a later invention dating from the 6th-century AD

A mosaic depicting Jesus Christ at the Basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, Italy

A third century coin showing King Abgarus XI, a descendent of Jesus-Izas, which shows more clearly the plaited crown of thorns worn by Edessan monarchs

Although Jesus is the most painted figure in all of western art, there is no physical description of him in the Bible.

The familiar image of him with long, flowing hair and white robe is said to be a later invention dating from the 6th-century AD.

Elllis’ findings are revealed in his book Jesus, King of Edessa, which is published in the UK this week.

The author, 59, admitted his conclusions are controversial and contradict the conventional story of Christ.

Biblical historian Ralph Ellis said his conclusion is controversial, describing it as ‘one of the most important discoveries in modern history’

He said: ‘Outside the Gospels there is precious little evidence attesting to the actual existence of the Christ figure.

‘Though this might not be an issue for those who are satisfied on the basis of faith alone, which I understand and respect, as an historian this is deeply troubling.

‘I have made it my life’s work to reconnect events and people from the Bible with known history.

‘And Jesus – probably the most important figure in western history – deserves to be brought out from the biblical shadows and into the historical sunlight.

‘The coin is the icing on the cake, and at last helps build up a strong case for the true identity and genealogy of the biblical Jesus.’

Many modern historians agree that Jesus the Nazarene – also known as ‘Jesus Emmanuel’ – actually existed and was executed by the Romans.

The Bible portrays him as a pacifist preacher in the Roman province of Judea, now part of Israel, who was called ‘Christ’ and ‘Messiah’ by followers, which translates as ‘anointed king’.

The scriptures say he was crucified by Pilate who feared that rising popular support for Jesus as a ‘King of the Jews’ could lead to the Jewish people revolting.

Ellis says his research suggests that Jesus was in fact a warrior king called ‘Izas Manu of Edessa and Adiabene’, also sometimes referred to as ‘Izates’ and ‘Monobazus II’, who also had his sights set on freeing Judea and its people from the Roman Empire.

He says his hypothesis explains every facet of the gospel narrative, including elements that have hitherto baffled traditional scholars.

Surviving accounts show that King Izas Manu and Jesus Emmanuel were both Nazarene Jews who lived in the City of Jerusalem in the first century.

And both were seen by the Romans as a threat because they aided the revolt of the Jewish people during the Great Jewish-Roman war of 66-73AD.

Although the historical records of Izas Manu’s death are inconclusive, Ellis believes he was among the three Jewish leaders who were rounded-up and crucified by the Romans, according to the 1st century Jewish historian Josephus Flavius.
This version of events has striking parallels with Jesus’ own death when he was led to the cross alongside two others, while wearing a crown of thorns and a purple cloak.

It is interesting to note that the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in the Olivet prophecies is only discussed by Jesus in Luke 21:20-24. All the other prophecies are related to the Great Tribulation, the Second Coming of Jesus and the Judgment in Matthew 25.

Luke 21:5-7,20,23,24: Some of the disciples were remarking about how the Temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said, “As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another, every one will be thrown down.” “Teacher,” they asked, “When will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?”…. Jesus answered, “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near… There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” {Here Jesus confirms that there will come a time when the Jews will again rule Jerusalem when the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled}

Matthew 21:42: Jesus said to the Jews, “the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit!”

Daniel 9:25-27: From the issuing of the decree {By King Cyrus on October 5th, 455 BC} to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the Ruler comes there will be 7 7’s {49 years} and 62 7’s [434 years} {For a total of 483 years on October 5th, AD 29} Jerusalem will be rebuilt but in times of trouble {49 years after Cyrus’s decree or 406 BC} After the 62 7’s (3 1/2 years After His coming on April 3-5, AD 33}, the Anointed One will be cut off. The {Roman} people of the ruler who will come will destroy Jerusalem and the Sanctuary {in AD 70}. He {The Anointed One} will confirm a Covenant with many for one 7. In the middle of the 7 {3 1/2 years after His Anointing} He will put an end to SACRIFICE and offering {For sin} He will set up an Abomination that causes desolation {666}.{For 42 months} until the decreed end is poured out on him {See Rev 19:20 and 2 Thess 2:8} {The Anointed One gave us a New Covenant for 3 1/2 years after His first Coming and then prophesied of a 42 month Great Tribulation immediately before His 2nd Coming in the Olivet prophesies and in the Revelation of Jesus Christ} {The last 3 1/2 years or 1278 days was shortened to 1260 days or 42 {30-day} months as per Matthew 24:21,22}

Daniel 9:24: 70 7’s {490 years} are decreed to to ANOINT THE MOST HOLY {After 69 7’s or 483 years}, to ATONE FOR WICKEDNESS {After 69 1/2 7’s or 486 1/2 years} and to bring in EVERLASTING RIGHTEOUSNESS {After 70 7’s on the Last Day at the Second Coming of Jesus}!

Acts 1:6,7: The disciples asked Jesus, “Lord, are you at this time going to RESTORE THE KINGDOM TO ISRAEL?” Jesus answered, It is not for you to know the times and dates the Father has set by His own authority!” {The KINGDOM WAS RESTORED TO ISRAEL at midnight on May 14th, 1948!}

Zechariah 13:8,9: In the whole land,” declares the Lord, “Two thirds will be struck down and perish, yet one-third will be left in it. This third I will bring into the fire, I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on My name and I will answer them. I will say, “They are My people”, and they will say, “The Lord is our God!”

Romans 11 :25,26: I do no want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers , so that you will not be conceited. Israel {THE FIG TREE} has experienced a hardening in part UNTIL THE FULL NUMBER OF GENTILES COME IN.. And so all Israel will be saved!! {The one third who are left during the Great Tribulation}

WHEN WILL THE FULL NUMBER OF GENTILES COME IN?? This will take place during the 1260-day Great Tribulation as per Revelation 7:9,13-15: There before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from EVERY NATION, TRIBE, PEOPLE AND LANGUAGE, standing before the throne in front of the LAMB. They were wearing white robes. … Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes–who are they, and where did they come from?” I answered, “Sir, you know.” And he said, “These are they who have COME OUT OF THE GREAT TRIBULATION, they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the LAMB. Therefore, they are before the throne of God.”

And just before this event when the full number of Gentiles are saved; 144,000 JEWS WILL BE SAVED. 12,000 EACH FROM THE 12 TRIBES OF ISRAEL.as per Revelation 7:5-8. These 144,000 Jews with the help of 2 Jewish witnesses {Moses and Elijah} will help in converting these 2,220,000 Jews.

Jeremiah 8:13: “I will take away their {Israel’s} harvest”, declares the Lord, “There will be no more FIGS on the tree. and their LEAVES will wither. What I have given them will be taken from them.”

Matthew 21:18,19: Jesus was hungry. Seeing a FIG TREE by the road, He went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then He said, ” May you never bear fruit again.”

Joel 1:11,12: The harvest of the field is destroyed. The vine is dried up and the FIG TREE is withered.

Hosea 9:10: The Lord said, “When I found Israel..it was like seeing the early fruit on the FIG TREE!”

Revelation 6:13 And the stars of the sky {See Matthew 24:29-31} fell to earth as late FIGS drop from a FIG TREEwhen shaken by a strong wind!

JESUS SAYS, “THIS **GENERATION WILL CERTAINLY NOT PASS AWAY UNTIL ALL THESE THINGS HAVE HAPPENED**

Matthew 24:32-34: Jesus says, “Now learn this lesson from the FIG TREE{ISRAEL}. As soon as its twigs get tender and its LEAVES COME OUT {Starting at May 14th,1948}, you know that summer {The Great Tribulation} is near {When the FIG TREE ISRAEL WILL BEAR FRUIT!}. Even so, when you see these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, **THIS GENERATION will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened!” {This FUTURE GENERATION would include all of the Olivet prophecies concerning the Great Tribulation and the 2nd Coming of Jesus}

Psalm 90:10: Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout ALL GENERATIONS…The length of our days is 70 YEARS–or EIGHTY, if we have the strength!

THE GENERATION OF THE NEW BIRTH OF ISRAEL BEGAN ON MAY 14TH, 1948 AND THE **70TH GENERATION ANNIVERSARY WILL BE ON MAY 14TH, 2018!!

ISAIAH 11:12: HE WILL RAISE A BANNER FOR THE NATIONS AND GATHER THE EXILES OF ISRAEL. HE WILL ASSEMBLE THE SCATTERED PEOPLE OF JUDAH FROM THE **FOUR QUARTERS OF THE EARTH

There are many prophecies concerning the Jews in the end times, many of which began to be fulfilled in the 20th Century. One of which is their WORLDWIDE GATHERING {Isaiah 11:12}. In 1900 there were only 40,000 Jews in Palestine. By the end of World War II that number had risen to 800,000. As of May, 2016, there were 6,450,000 Jews in Israel who have come from all over the world or the FOUR QUARTERS OF THE EARTH!. According to www.Jewishvirtuallibrary.org there is a population growth rate of 1.7 % a year of Jews in Israel which would be 3.4% in 2 years. If you multiply 3.4 % times 6,450,000 you would have about 216,000 more Jews in Israel by May of 2018. 6,450,000 plus 216,000 equals 6,66*0,000 Jews in Israel by MAY 14 2018! One third of the Jews in the land will be saved during the Great Tribulation And so about 2,220,000 Jews will be saved. It is estimated that only about 4,000 Jews in Israel are saved at the present time.

The prophecies concerning the Jews before the 1260- Day Great Tribulation are the LEAVES of the FIG TREE which is Israel, But the FIG TREE will not bear FRUIT until one third of the Jews are saved during the Great are saved during the Great Tribulation!

ANOTHER INTERESTING PROPHECY is the Jewish re-occupation of all of JERUSALEM which occurred at 10 AM, June 7, 1967 during the miraculous Six Day War. Midnight,MAY 14TH, 2018 is 49 {7X7} YEARS** plus 707 DAYS after 10 AM June 7th, 1967!!

Zechariah 8:4,5,7: This is what the Lord almighty says, “Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of JERUSALEM, each with cane in hand because of his age. The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there!… I will save My people from the countries of the east and the west. I will bring them back to live in JERUSALEM!”

ANOTHER INTERESTING PROPECY is the one whose fulfillment we are witnessing today — the re-focusing of world politics upon the nation of Israel. All the nations of the world are coming against Israel over the issue of the control of the nation’s capital — the city of JERUSALEM{Zechariah 12:1-3}. The Vatican wants the city put under its control. The United Nations wants it to be internationalized. The European Union is demanding it be divided between the Arabs and the Jews. The Arabs want all of it. Donald Trump promises that he will make JERUSALEM the capital of Israel and all the Muslim nations are threatening war if this takes place, and this war could escalate into a WORLD WAR AND WORLD CHAOS!!

Zechariah 12:1-3 The Lord declares, “I AM GOING TO MAKE JERUSALEM A CUP THAT SENDS ALL THE SURROUDING NATIONS REELING*. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem, on that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her!!”

Donald Trump has promised that the Jews could have their CAPITAL in JERUSALEM and all the Muslim countries have promised that they would go to *WAR** with Israel if this takes place and this war could escalate into a WORLD WAR AND WORLD CHAOS!!

ANOTHER INTERESTING PROPHECY is found in Jeremiah 29:18: This is what the Lord Almighty says {About Jews} “I WILL MAKE THEM ABHORRENT TO ALL THE KINGDOMS OF THE EARTH AND AN OBJECT OF CURSING AND TERROR, OF SCORN AND REPROACH AMONG THE NATIONS!”

On December 23, 2016, the UNITED NATIONS of the world severely condemned Israel for its settlements! December 23rd, 2016 is exactly 507 days before the 70TH YEAR Anniversary of the rebirth of Israel on MAY 14TH, 2018. 72 weeks or 72X7 would take up 504 days leaving 3 days or 72 hours. And so the time period from December 23rd, 2016 to MAY 14TH, 2018 and the possible coming of 666 would be exactly 66+6 weeks plus 66+6 hours.

On December 23rd, 2016 Barak Hussein Obama abandoned America’s commitment to Israel’s security and the end of their democracy against Muslim aggression. In an act of cowardly venom Obama had the United States abstain from a United Nations resolution–and thereby effectively enact a United Nations resolution that completely condemns Israel and their settlements. A resolution that undertakes to render Israel indefensible. This very ridiculous unfair resolution greatly increases the tension and chaos in the Middle East and gives the Muslim countries an excuse to increase their hostility toward Israel.

On January 24th, 2017 Israel announced that it was going to build 2,500 New Settlements on Palestinian territory which absolutely contradicts the UN resolution and would further escalate the tensions in the Middle East; and gives the Muslim countries yet another excuse to increase their hostility toward Israel.
According to the United Nations human rights body, Israel is the worst human rights violater in the world today. That is the result of the latest session of the Human Rights Council which wrapped up in Geneva on March 24th, 2017 by adopting 5 times more resolutions condemning Israel than any other country on earth!! In its history the Council has condemned Israel more than any other of the 192 UN states. Comparative totals after the UN sessions program tell the story: :Israel–78 resolutions and decisions Syria–29 North Korea–9 ISIS–8 and Iran–6. As for Russia and China there is nothing at all.

Think of it this way: 500,000 dead in Syria, forced starvation and mass torture in North Korea. Systematic, lethal oppression, amazing atrocities, and sponsored terrorism in Iran and ISIS, and an elementary lack of basic freedoms and oppression affecting over a billion people in Russia and China. But according to the UN Human Rights Council, the little democracy Israel is by far the main evil problem in the world???

GOD INSPIRED **32 JEWS TO WRITE EVERY WORD IN THE OT WORD OF GOD AND GOD INSPIRED 8 JEWS TO WRITE EVERY WORD IN THE NT WORD OF GOD**!!

OUR ETERNAL HOME IS CALLED THE **NEW JERUSALEM AND ON ITS 12 GATES WILL BE THE NAMES OF THE 12 TRIBES OF ISRAEL AND ON ITS 12 FOUNDATIONS WILL BE THE NAMES OF THE 12 JEWISH APOSTLES {PAUL instead of Judas}** {See Revelation 21:2 and Revelation 21:12 and Revelation 21:14}

Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior is called the SON OF DAVID 17 times in the NT and in Revelation Jesus is called THE ROOT AND OFFSPRING OF DAVID and THE LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH {See Revelation 22::16 and Revelation 5:5!}

In John 4:22 Jesus declares “SALVATION IS FROM THE JEWS”

Jesus promised to 12 Apostles who followed Him {Including Paul?} that they would be given 12 THRONES and the authority to JUDGE in Matthew 19:28 & Luke 22:30. In Revelation 4:4 Before the beginning of the Great Tribulation John saw exactly 24 thrones surrounding God’s Throne in Heaven.

Revelation 4:4: Surrounding God’s Throne were 24 OTHER THRONES, and seated on them were **24 ELDERS. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads!!

Matthew 19:28: Jesus said to His Apostles, “I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on His glorious Throne, you who have followed Me {Paul instead of Judas} will also sit on 12 THRONES!”

Luke 22:30: Jesus said to His Apostles, “I confer on you a Kingdom, just as My Father conferred one on Me, so that you may eat and drink at My table in My Kingdom and sit on THRONES!”

The other 12 THRONES were most likely given to 12 prominent OT super saints such as Abraham, David, Moses, Elijah, Daniel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Joseph, Samuel, Joshua, Enoch and Noah!

WHO WILL BE GOD’S TWO WITNESSES {REV 11:3} OR MEN {REV 11:6} OR PROPHETS {REV 11:10}??

Zechariah 4:11,14: “Then I asked the angel, ‘What are these TWO OLIVE TREES {See Rev 11:4 below} on the right and left of the lamp stand?’… the angel said, ‘These are the TWO who are anointed to serve the Lord of the earth!'” Rev 11:3-6: {God said to John} “I will give power to My TWO witnesses and they will prophesy for 1260 days clothed in sackcloth! These are the TWO OLIVE TREES {See Zech 4:11,14 above} and the 2 lamp stands that stand before the Lord of the earth. If anyone tries to harm them, fire will come from their mouths to destroy their enemies. This is how anyone who tries to harm them must die {See 2 Kings 1:9-12; Num 16:31-35}. These *MEN will have power to shut up the sky so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying {See 1 Kings 17:1; Luke 4:25; James 5:17}; and they will have power to turn the waters into blood {See Exodus 7:15-23} and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they wish.”

Moses and Elijah witnessed to 3 Apostles on the mount of Transfiguration when Moses & Elijah spoke to Jesus about his departure or Ascension, which Jesus was to bring to fulfillment in Jerusalem 40 days after His resurrection. Luke 9:30,31: “TWO MEN Moses and Elijah, appeared in GLORIOUS SPLENDOR talking with Jesus. They spoke about His Departure {Or Ascension} which He was about to bring to fulfillment in Jerusalem.” Moses and Elijah were most assuredly the TWO MEN dressed in white who witnessed at the Departure or Ascension of Jesus in Acts 1:10,11: “They looked up into the sky as He {Jesus} was going when suddenly TWO MEN dressed in WHITE stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into Heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into Heaven!”

And then in Luke 24:2b-6b we read: They did not find the body of Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly TWO MEN… stood beside them… And the MEN said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? HE IS NOT HERE; HE HAS RISEN!!” Jesus says in John 8:17b: “The testimony of TWO MEN IS VALID and of course the testimony of Moses and Elijah is just about as valid as you can get. And so the coming of God’s TWO MEN or witnesses to prophesy for 1260 days {See Rev 11:3-7} will be their FOURTH appearance as God’s 2 witnesses or MEN. And the reason that their names are not mentioned in Luke 24:3 and Acts 1:10 and Rev 11:3-12 is that the Father, Moses and Elijah want us to glorify NO ONE ELSE BUT JESUS!!

Moses and Elijah will most likely witness miraculously to people in the uttermost parts of the earth in all 6,000 languages. Presently the Bible has been translated into about 2,000 languages from the inspired Greek and Hebrew manuscripts and faith comes from hearing or reading the sword of the spirit which is the Word of God. The Bible still has not been translated into about 4,000 languages and Rev 5:9b and Rev 7:9,13,14 must be completely fulfilled. Surely the courageous tribulation saints will help Moses and Elijah spread God’s Word. They will do a fantastic job since according to Rev 7:9,14 there will be a great multitude from EVERY TRIBE AND LANGUAGE who will be “washed in the Blood of the Lamb”.

Moses & Elijah will be dressed in SACKCLOTH which is appropriate since the Tribulation saints will be very poor, for they will not be able to buy or sell anything as per Rev 13:17. Moses and Elijah will certainly speak the Word of God with great power and love. They will not add or take words away from the Prophetic Words of God {See Rev 22:18,19}; and they will encourage God’s courageous saints to adhere to ALL of the NT commandments {See Rev 12:13b; 14:12b; Matt 28:20a; John 14:15,21,23; I John 2:2-5} with love {See Matt 5:39-48 & Rom 12:17-21} in the face of severe and hostile persecution.

Moses and Elijah will warn us of the coming of 666 & his False Prophet. It seems very appropriate that God will send His TWO PROPHETS {See Rev 11:10b} to warn and prepare His saints for the coming of Satan, 666 and the Great Tribulation for in Amos 3:7 we read: “Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants the PROPHETS!” God will allow 666 to martyr Moses and Elijah {See Rev 11:7,8} right where their Lord was crucified. {At the new HOLY PLACE where Jesus shed his blood for our sins} 3 1/2 days later Moses and Elijah will rise to heaven just hours before the 7th angel sounds the 7th Trump at the 2nd coming of Jesus.{See Rev 11:11-18}

Mark 13:14: Jesus says, “When you see 666 standing where he does not belong {At the New Holy Place}….then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.” {See Rev 11:7,8 & Rev 16:15} John 2:19: Jesus said, “Destroy this TEMPLE and I will raise it again in 3 days.” This HOLY PLACE is where Jesus became the chief cornerstone {Eph 2:20,21} and we are living stones {I Pet 2:5 & 2 Cor 6:16} in the LAST TEMPLE made without hands! {Acts 17:24} Certainly, the old Jerusalem and the old Temple site or a future Jewish temple are NO LONGER HOLY PLACES. Hebrews 13:12-14: “Jesus suffered outside the city gate to make the people HOLY THROUGH HIS BLOOD. Let us, then, go to Him outside the city, bearing the disgrace He bore. For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the CITY {THE NEW JERUSALEM} that is to come.” {See Heb 11:10,13-16; Heb 12:22; Rev 3:12b; 21:2,10-27; 22:1-5; 2 Pet 3:13}

Gal 4:25,26: “Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem {Called Sodom in Rev 11:8} because she is in slavery with her children. But the JERUSALEM that is ABOVE is free, and she is our mother.” {The NEW JERUSALEM}

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What could we learn about early Christianity just by reading the other documents of the New Testament?

The Gospels and Acts are our best sources about Jesus and the early history of Christianity.

But suppose we didn’t have them?

What could we learn about early Christianity just by reading the other documents of the New Testament?

More than you might think!

The letter of James is one of the earliest books of the New Testament—perhaps the earliest.

So let’s look at what we could learn from the letter of James and how this material parallels (and thus confirms) what we find in the Gospels and Acts . . .

A Jewish Leader

The opening verse of the letter reads:

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greeting (Jas. 1:1).

This reveals that the early Christian movement contained a very prominent Jewish figure named James.

The name “James” (Greek, Iakōbos) itself is Jewish, and the fact that he addresses an international audience indicates that he had an international reputation and could expect Christians in distant lands to know who he was.

This is underscored by the fact he introduces himself without any discussion of his biography, showing he is someone who needs no further introduction.

In the Gospels and Acts, we read of several early Christian leaders named “James” (Matt. 10:2-3, 13:55) and it is widely thought that this author of the letter was James the “brother” of Jesus, who later assumed a prominent leadership role in the church in Jerusalem (Acts 12:17, 15:13, 21:18, cf. 1 Cor. 15:7, Gal. 1:19, 2:9, 2:12).

A Jewish Movement

Numerous elements in the letter indicate a Jewish origin for the Christian movement. These include:

The Jewish names of prominent figures (James and Jesus; Jas. 1:1)

Belief there is a single God (Jas. 1:1, 2:19)

Belief in the Messiah, or Christ (Jas. 1:1, 2:1)

The address to “the twelve tribes in the Dispersion” (Jas. 1:1)

The description of Abraham as “our father” (Jas. 2:21)

Citations of the Jewish Scriptures (Jas. 2:8, 2:11, 2:21-25, 4:6)

Use of the word “synagogue” (sunagōgē) instead of “church” (ekklesia) to refer to Christian meetings (Jas. 2:2)

From what one could gather from this letter, Christianity might be seen as an exclusively Jewish movement. There are no clear indications in the letter that Gentile Christians even exist (which may point to it having a very early date).

This corresponds to the picture we have from the Gospels of Christianity beginning as a movement within Judaism.

A Distinctive Movement

Christianity differed from other Jewish movements and had a distinct message, which they regarded as “the word of truth” (Jas. 1:18). They held that this “implanted word . . . is able to save your souls” (Jas. 1:21).

This corresponds to the distinctively Christian message—known as the “gospel” or “good news”—that we read of in the Gospels (Matt. 4:23, Mark 1:1, 15, Luke 9:6, etc.).

A Movement Focused on Jesus

The Christian movement is focused on Jesus in a special way. He is described as “the Lord Jesus Christ” (Jas. 1:1, 2:1), indicating that he is believed to be the Messiah (Christ).

He is placed in parallel with God, for James describes himself as “a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ” (Jas. 1:1, emphasis added).

He is a supernatural figure, for he is described as “the Lord . . . of glory” (Jas. 2:1).

Christians have had the “honorable name” of Jesus “invoked over” them (Jas. 2:7), possibly at the time of their initiation into the movement.

Some Christians are tasked with being teachers (Jas. 3:1)—people who offer instruction in the distinctly Christian message.

There are also figures known as elders (presbyters) who in ministering to the sick with respect to prayer, anointing, healing, and forgiveness (Jas. 5:14-15).

In the Gospels and Acts, we learn that Christians met for a time in synagogues (John 16:2), that Jesus commissioned teachers (Matt. 10:1-4, Luke 10:1-9), and that there were officers known as elders (Acts 11:30, 14:23, 15:2, etc.).

A Movement Under Siege

The letter indicates that Christians experienced significant opposition. This can be seen by the negative references to “the world,” which is perceived as hostile and a source of unrighteousness (Jas. 1:27, 3:6, 4:4).

It is also indicated by the letter’s counsel regarding how to deal with trials. This is the very first subject that the author takes up in the letter (Jas. 1:2).

Furthermore, there are indications that rich non-Christians spoke against the movement and its Christ and dragged Christians into court (Jas. 2:6-7).

In the Gospels we find Jesus regarding “the world” as a source of defilement (Matt. 13:22) and as being in opposition to the Christian movement (John 1:10, 7:7, 14:17, etc.).

We also find Jesus giving a large number of teachings preparing his followers to face persecution and trials (Matt. 5:10-12, 44, 10:16-23, 28-39, 24:9-13), and the book of Acts records numerous instances of opposition that the early Christians faced as they spread their message.

The Teachings of Jesus

One would expect the fundamentals of the Christian message to have been given to the movement by its central figure, “the Lord Jesus Christ.”

We thus might expect teachings found in the letter of James to correspond to—and thus confirm—the teachings attributed to Jesus in the Gospels.

This is, in fact, what we do find. James includes many statements that echo those made by Jesus. Working our way through the letter, we find the following:

One should rejoice in trials (Jas. 1:2; cf. Matt. 5:12)

One must strive for perfection (Jas. 1:4; cf. Matt. 5:48)

Warning against anger (Jas. 1:20; cf. Matt. 5:22)

One must be a doer rather than a hearer (Jas. 1:22, 2:14-26; cf. Matt. 7:24-27 )

People will be judged by their speech (Jas. 1:26, 3:1-12; cf. Matt. 12:36-37)

One must choose either God or worldly things (Jas. 4:4; cf. Matt. 6:24)

The materially prosperous should not presume they will continue to live (Jas. 4:13; cf. Luke 12:13-21)

The rich are in spiritual danger (Jas. 5:1-5; cf. Matt. 19:23-24)

What kind of treasure do you have with God? (Jas. 5:2-3; cf. Matt. 6:19)

Waiting for the kingdom is like a farmer waiting on his crops (Jas. 5:7; cf. Matt. 13:24-30, 36-43, Mark 4:26-29)

The imminence of the day of the Lord (Jas. 5:8-9; cf. Matt. 24:32-34, 42-44)

Christians are like the prophets in experiencing suffering (Jas. 5:10; cf. Matt. 5:12)

Blessed are those who endure (Jas. 5:11; cf. Matt. 24:13)

One must not swear oaths (Jas. 5:12; cf. Matt. 5:33-37)

Forgiveness is possible for those who “wander from the truth” if they repent (Jas. 5:19; cf. Luke 15:11-32)

Although many of these statements have additional parallels (not listed here) in Mark, Luke, and John, it is striking the number of them that are paralleled in Matthew, and specifically in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7).

This suggests, at a minimum, that the same Jesus traditions that were eventually preserved in Matthew were also in circulation in the community of which James was a part.

Also, it may be noted that James twice accuses members of his audience of “murder” (Jas. 4:2, 5:6). This is a very uncommon crime, suggesting that he may mean the term to be taken in a non-literal sense, such as the one suggested by Jesus in the Gospels, which extends the “Do not commit murder” commandment to situations in which literal killing was not involved (Matt. 5:21-22).

Very Close Parallels

The above parallels are often express the same or similar thoughts as those in the Gospels, though they use different words to do so. However, some of the parallels are strikingly close. One of the most striking is:

But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath, but let your yes be yes and your no be no, that you may not fall under condemnation (Jas. 5:12).

Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool . . . Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil (Matt. 5:34-37).

Paradoxical Truths

The influence of Jesus can also be seen in the way that the letter of James often expresses truths in paradoxical form:

People should rejoice concerning their trials (Jas. 1:2)

The humble have a high position (Jas. 1:9)

The rich have a low position (Jas. 1:10)

The poor are actually rich (Jas. 2:5)

This echoes similar, paradoxical statements made by Jesus in the Gospels, such as:

He who saves his life will lose it (Matt. 10:39, 16:25)

The first will be last and the last will be first (Matt. 19:30, 20:16)

The leader must be the servant of all (Matt. 20:26-27, 23:11)

The Family of God

In addition to the parallels mentioned above, there are also parallels on a number of specific matters, such as the “family of God” metaphor used in James.

How did Christians come to see God as their Father and other Christians as their brothers? A clue is given in James, who describes Christians as having been given birth by God “through the message of truth” (Jas. 1:18).

Similarly, in the Gospels, Christians are also regarded as having been given a new birth by God (John 1:12-13, 3:3-8).

Healing and Forgiveness

There are also parallels involving ministries of healing and forgiveness.

James reveals that the elders of the Christian community exercised a ministry in which they prayed for and anointed the sick, bringing them healing and, if they had committed sins, forgiveness (Jas. 5:14-16).

In the Gospels, Jesus both heals people, including in conjunction with forgiveness (Matt. 9:1-8). His ministers also anointed the sick with oil (Mark 6:13), and he commissioned them to forgive sins (John 20:21-23).

The Last Days

Finally, both James and the Gospels contain parallels regarding what Christians believed about the future.

This judgment could occur at the end of one’s life, but there is a special belief in a judgment that will occur in “the last days” (Jas. 5:3)—at “the coming of the Lord,” which Christians must patiently await (Jas. 5:7), though it is “at hand” (Jas. 5:8).

In the Gospels and Acts, we also see a lively expectation regarding what God will do in the future.

There is a clear belief in a future judgment (Matt. 10:15, 11:22, 24, 12:36), including a belief in a future “coming” of the Lord (Matt. 24:3, 27, 37, etc.) and a dramatic change in the world on the “last day” (John 6:39-40, 44, 54, 11:24, 12:48; cf. Matt. 28:20). These events are unpredictable but in some sense imminent (Matt. 24:32-34, 42-44).

Conclusion

The letter of James gives us a great deal of information about the early Christian movement and its teachings. Even if we did not have the Gospels and Acts, we could learn a large amount about early Christianity simply from this letter.
The picture painted in the letter of James also corresponds to what we find in the Gospels and Acts on numerous points—including material found in John thus corroborating the picture they give us of the early Christian movement.

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The “Word” existed before the birth of Jesus Christ; but what was the Word? John answers, “The Word was God.” Jesus was “God manifest in the flesh.” Jesus was not the Son incarnate, but the Father manifested by the Spirit, the result being a Son, the first-born of many brethren, (Rom. 8:29) who become sons of God by adoption through Jesus Christ (Gal. 3:26; 4:5.)

The “Word” is the Spirit used as the medium of the Father’s purpose. This is shown by the angel’s description of the process by which the Word became flesh (Luke 1:35.) The Deity of Christ is not to be considered as consisting always “in an incarnation of the Father.” but the Father manifested by the Spirit. The Deity of Christ is more complete now when there is no incarnation at all than it was in the days of his flesh Luke 13:32. In him dwells all the fullness of the Deity bodily Col 2:9

In what does this Deity consist? In the spirit physically corporealised. He is the Lord the spirit. God is spirit and he is the same. In what did his Deity consist in the Days of his flesh? In the same spirit resting cherub-like in measureless flowing out of spirit on the body prepared by and for itself of the seed of David according to the flesh for the doing of the will of the Father for the sanctification and redemption of the children Heb. 10:5-10

But this spirit and the father cannot be separated for they are one as a flame and the light of it are one. the Father dwelling in heaven in light unapproachable and the spirit radiating from him filling heaven and earth are one Father who says Do not I fill heaven and earth.Jer 23:24

How the Father tabernacling in the body prepared could say “destroy this temple (a symbol of the body) and in 3 days I will rise it up John 2:19

Surely the lifeless body taken down from the cross was not Deity! Can Deity die? The Deity departed from him in death and returned at the resurrection. The word was God and this existed before the man Christ Jesus and before everything created. Jesus was the personal embodiment of the word and therefore God manifested in the flesh.” We hear not of the Son before Jesus was born in Bethlehem, but of the word we hear.

The “Word” existed before the birth of Jesus Christ; but what was the Word? John answers, “The Word was God.” Jesus was “God manifest in the flesh.” Jesus was not the Son incarnate, but the Father manifested by the Spirit, the result being a Son, the first-born of many brethren, (Rom. 8:29) who become sons of God by adoption through Jesus Christ (Gal. 3:26; 4:5.)

The “Word” is the Spirit used as the medium of the Father’s purpose. This is shown by the angel’s description of the process by which the Word became flesh (Luke 1:35.) Christ is the work of God in a sense in which man is not, that the glory of the triumph wrought out in him may be to God, and that human nature may have no room for the self-satisfied, self-approving which is so common with man. To see the full force of this idea we must realise the divine side of Christ. In all the discourses of Christ, the Father is brought forward as the great initiator and operator in the case. This is his style of language: “I came down from Heaven not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me” (Jn. 6:38). “I am not come of myself (Jn. 6:28). ‘The words that I speak unto you, I speak not of myself, but the Father that dwelleth in me, He doeth the works” (Jn. 14:10). “I am come in my Father’s name” (Jn. 5:43). “I can of mine own self do nothing” (Jn. 5:30). “He that sent me is with me” (Jn. 8:29). “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father. How sayest thou, then, shew us the Father” (Jn. 14:9). So with the apostles: Paul speaks (Eph. 1:5) of the Father, “having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ το HIMSELF according to the good pleasure of His will. ” Again he says (Rom. 3:23), “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God, being justified FREELY BY HIS GRACE through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” And again, in the 1lth chapter of the same letter, at the 32nd verse: “God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that He might have mercy upon all.” Again, in his second letter to the Corinthians (vv. 18-19), he tells us that God hath reconciled us unto HIMSELF by Jesus Christ; and that God was in Christ, reconciling the world UNTO HIMSELF. And again, in his letter to Titus (3:4): “The kindness and love of GOD our SAVIOUR toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His MERCY, He saved us.” And in chap. 2:11: “For the GRACE OF GOD that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.” It is the grace of God, then — the act of God — that we see in the introduction of Christ upon the scene to open a way for mercy with wisdom and justice. This required that he should appear in the nature of Abraham and David,which was sinful nature.

For who can contemplate the superhuman personage shown in the gospel account without seeing that the Father is manifest in him? When did ever man behave, act, perform, miricals like this man? When spoke the most gifted of men like this? Is he not manifestly revealed the moral and intellectual image of the invisible God? Is he not — last Adam though he be — is he not “the Lord from heaven”? But what are we to say to the plain declaration emanant from the mouth of the Lord himself, that the beholder looking on him, saw the Father, and that the Father within him by the Spirit — (for as he said on the subject of eating his flesh, it is the Spirit that maketh alive: the flesh profiteth nothing) — was the doer and the speaker?The flesh of Christ as a mixture of human with “divine substance.” God was manifest in Jesus, and that Jesus was of our nature, and “touched with the feeling of our infirmities,” as Paul declares, and “tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin.”

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We need to ask question which is , ‘Doesn’t this picture of the Kingdom of God all seem rather human?’ People in the Kingdom will still be producing babies (Isa. 65:23) and even dying (Isa. 65:20). These people will still have disputes which Christ will settle (Isa. 2:4), and will still need to work the ground in order to survive, even though this will be much easier than at present. This all seems a far cry from the promises that the righteous will receive eternal life, and a nature like God’s, being made equal to the angels, who do not marry or reproduce (Luke 20:35,36) The answer lies in the fact that the first part of the Kingdom of God will last for 1,000 years – (see Rev. 20:2-7).

During this 1,000 years there will be two groups of people on earth:- The saints – those of us who have followed Christ acceptably in this life, who will have been given eternal life at the judgment seat. Note: a ‘saint’ means ‘a called out’ person, and refers to any true believer. The ordinary, mortal people who did not know the Gospel at the time of Christ’s return – i.e. they were not responsible to the judgment seat. When Christ comes, two men will be in the field, one will be taken (to judgment), and the other left (Lk. 17:36); those who are “left” will be in this second group. Having received God’s nature at the judgment seat, the saints will be unable to die or produce children. The descriptions of people experiencing these things in the Kingdom must therefore apply to the second group – those who are alive at the time of Christ’s return, but who did not know God’s requirements. The reward of the righteous is to be “kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth” (Rev. 5:10). Kings have to reign over somebody; those people who were ignorant of the Gospel at the time of the second coming will therefore be left alive, to be reigned over. Through being “in Christ” we will share His reward – which is to be the king of the world: “He that overcometh…to him will I give power over the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron…even as I received of my Father” (Rev. 2:26,27).

Christ’s parable of the pounds now falls into place – the faithful servants were rewarded with ten or five towns to rule over in the Kingdom (Luke 19:12-19). Knowledge of God’s ways will not spread immediately Christ is declared King in Jerusalem; the people will travel to Jerusalem in order to find more knowledge about God (Isa. 2:2,3). Recall, too, how the mountain of Dan. 2:35,44 (representing the Kingdom of God) gradually spreads over the earth. It will be the duty of the saints to spread the knowledge of God and therefore His Kingdom. When Israel was the kingdom of God previously, the duty of the priests was to teach the knowledge of God (Mal. 2:5-7). For this purpose they were placed in various towns throughout Israel. In the more glorious re-establishment of the Kingdom, the saints will take over the role of the priests (Rev. 5:10). The purpose of God with the earth will then have been completed. It will be filled with immortal, righteous beings. God’s Name ‘Yahweh Elohim’ (meaning ‘He who will be revealed in a group of mighty ones’) will then be fulfilled. Never again will sin, and therefore death, be experienced on earth; the promise that the seed of the serpent would be totally destroyed by being hit in the head, will then have been completely fulfilled (Gen. 3:15). During the 1,000 years, Christ will have reigned “till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death…And when all things shall be subdued unto him (God), then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him (God) that put all things under him, that God may be all in all” (1 Cor. 15:25-28).

This is “the end, when he (Christ) shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father” (1 Cor. 15:24). What will follow in this period when God is “all in all” we are not told; all we know is that we will have eternal life, God’s nature, and we will live to glorify and please God. It is presumption to even enquire further into what the state after the 1,000 years will be like.

A couple simple words in conclusion:

The Mankind is returning literally to the garden for 1,000 years of Christ’s rule on earth. We will live like Adam and Eve were suppose to live and FREELY partake of the TREE OF LIFE, which is a REAL TREE.

No one is going anywhere until Christ rules for 1,000 years. Eternal life is NOT GIVEN until AFTER the 1,000 years and the WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT OCCURS. The rapture people are out of their minds.

The Revelation 22:1 And he showed me a pure river of Water of Life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the Throne of God and of the Lamb.

The Revelation 22:2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, [was there] the Tree of Life, which bare twelve [manner of] fruits, [and] yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree [were] for the healing of the nations. …

The Revelation 28:22 But the pure spirit will bathe in the River of Paradise. And those who have washed in this spring have the right to the Tree of Life and they may go through the gates into the city of paradise and bliss. …

The Revelation 30:1,2 And the Spirit led me forth and showed me a pure river of the Water of Life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the Throne of God. And the river and the land were one, and on each side of the river there was the Tree of Life, which was in paradise. And the tree bore twelve manner of fruits, and yielded up fruit every month, for the leaves of the tree were for the healing-peace of the nations (ch. 22:2).

The Revelation 30:14 Blessed are they that keep [and do] His COMMANDments, that they may have the right to the Tree of Life. And will share Divine Love and know paradise and bliss and may enter in through the (strait – Matt. 7:13-14) gates into the City (New Jerusalem).

The Revelation 30:15 For I tell you, none who do evil will come into this paradise, neither will they know the power of Divine Love. For only the sacred will live in the Temple and make to each other the sign. And they will not leave paradise. For without are dogs, and sorcerers and whore-mongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. …

The Revelation 30:19 And if any man shall take away from the words of this Book of Prophecy, the Father shall take away his right to the Tree of Life and he will be cast out of the Holy City and will share not the eternal gift of paradise and bliss, which are written in this book.
The CHRIST SPIRIT FROM HEAVEN (John 1:32). CHRIST, comes AGAIN, in a human body, WITH A NEW NAME (Rev. 2:17 and 3:12), born on 4/22/1948, THE EXACT DAY that the Fig Tree RE-SPROUTED (Mat. 24). He will SHED that body (Matthew 24:28, Rev. 7:2) and RETURN on the CLOUD with the HEAVENLY HOST and reap the earth (24:30) IMMEDIATELY AFTER the nuclear war (1/3 of mankind dies in this war: THAT IS 2,000,000,000 + PEOPLE), and HE WILL RULE THIS PLANET.

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Astronomers say collision of two distant stars will create light visible from EarthProminent rabbi in Israel believes this aligns with ancient messianic prophecy

Yosef Berger made the claim citing the 12th century Rabbi Moses ben Maimon

An Israeli rabbi has predicted the arrival of the Messiah, claiming the formation of a new star confirms a biblical prophecy.

Astronomers in Michigan, in the US, believe the collision of two distant stars will create a massive ‘Boom star’ visible from Earth by 2022.

But Rabbi Yosef Berger, of King David’s Tomb in Mount Zion, Jerusalem, believes the supernova explosion is evidence an ancient messianic prophecy is coming true.

An Israeli rabbi has predicted the arrival of the Messiah, claiming the formation of a new star confirms a biblical prophecy. (file picture) +4

An Israeli rabbi has predicted the arrival of the Messiah, claiming the formation of a new star confirms a biblical prophecy.

According to Berger cited 12th century Rabbi Moses ben Maimon – known as Ramban – when making his claim.

‘The Rambam brings this verse about a star appearing as proof that the Messiah will come one day,’ Berger told the website.

‘The Zohar [the foundational work in the literature of Jewish mystical thought] states explicitly that the Messianic process will be accompanied by several stars appearing.

‘The Zohar goes into great depth, describing how many stars, and which colours they will be.’

Berger points to a Biblical verse coinciding with Jewish literature found in Numbers 24:17.

The extract says: ‘I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not nigh; there shall step forth a star out of Yakov, and a scepter shall rise out of Yisrael, and shall smite through the corners of Moab, and break down all the sons of Seth.’

Last week it was reported that our night sky could be set to include a new star in 2022, if the predictions of a group of astronomers turn out to be correct.

A professor who has been studying a binary star system, two stars orbiting each other, claims they will soon start to merge together to create what he has dubbed ‘Boom star’.

The stars will end their lives in an explosion, known as a supernova, he said.

This will be will make them ten thousand times brighter than they already are – producing one of the brightest stars visible in our sky.

Supernovas are intense explosions caused at the end of the lifetime of huge stars, or when two stars merge together.

They can be seen from Earth from millions of light years away, but they are unpredictable.

Historically they have can only been studied if telescopes happened to be pointing in their direction, and by astronomers looking back at archives of the stars’ observations, after the event.

Professor Larry Molnar from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, claims to have predicted one in advance, for the first time. He says the event will take place around 2022, give or take a year.

The star will be visible as part of the constellation Cygnus, and will add a star to the recognisable Northern Cross star pattern.

‘It’s a one-in-a-million chance that you can predict an explosion,’ said Professor Molnar, about his bold prediction. ‘It’s never been done before.’

Professor Molnar’s exploration into the star known as KIC 9832227 began back in 2013.

He was attending an astronomy conference when fellow astronomer Karen Kinemuchi presented her study of the brightness changes of the star, which asked whether the star was one star pulsing, or flashing, or whether it was two stars orbiting each other.

Professor Molnar and colleagues will be observing KIC 9832227 in the next year over the full range of wavelengths: using the Very Large Array, the Infrared Telescope Facility, and the XMM-Newton spacecraft to study the star’s radio, infrared and X-ray emission, respectively.

‘If Larry’s prediction is correct, his project will demonstrate for the first time that astronomers can catch certain binary stars in the act of dying, and that they can track the last few years of a stellar death spiral up to the point of final, dramatic explosion,’ said Matt Walhout, dean for research and scholarship at Calvin College.

‘The project is significant not only because of the scientific results, but also because it is likely to capture the imagination of people on the street,’ said Walhout. ‘If the prediction is correct, then for the first time in history, parents will be able to point to a dark spot in the sky and say,